Ride simulation system

• US 6,431,989 B1
• Filed: 10/29/1999
• Issued: 08/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Matsukuma, Nobuhiko, Wilson, Eric A., Rhodes, Brahm, Trumbull, Douglas, Minges, Joshua D., Greenebaum, Erich A., Bronson, Steven D., Iwama, Yoshihiro, Katayama, Atsushi, Nishikawa, Atsuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kien T.
• Application Number:
  US09/429,959
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 472/58, 472/59, 472/60, 472/61, 472/130, 434/29, 434/55, 52/6, 52/8, 52/9, 52/10
• US Class Current: 472/60
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 31/16 creating illusions of travel
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0097 Amusement vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0213 mounted on floor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/022 mounted on seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/02 Semi-passive restraint systems, e.g. systems applied or removed automatically but not both ; Manual restraint systems knee, leg or head belts B60R22/001; devices for releasing in an emergency, remote or automatic unbuckling devices B60R22/32
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/05 the view from a vehicle being simulated G09B9/052, G09B9/058 take precedence

Abstract

In order to display distortion-free and high-precision images which give a three-dimensional appearance to many crews in a ride simulation system, there is provided a ride simulation system comprising a ride casing which is in shape of a capsule and can accept one or more people and a driving mechanism for driving this ride casing, wherein a horizontally long, curve screen is provided at the front of the interior of the ride casing, a plurality of projectors are provided at the rear of the interior of the ride casing, and because of projection on each corresponding divided area of the curve screen by means of the plurality of projectors, one picture is displayed on the curve screen.

Claims

1. The ride simulation system comprising a ride casing which is in shape of a capsule and can accept plurality of people, and a driving mechanism for driving the ride casing, wherein

a curve screen which is long in width is disposed at the front within the ride casing, a plurality of projectors are disposed at the rear within the ride casing, and the plurality of projectors project on corresponding divided areas of the curve screen so that one picture is displayed on the curve screen, and wherein

seats are arranged in a multistage condition within the ride casing so that crews sitting on the seats are opposite to the curve screen and the seats on the front side stage are lower than those on the rear side stage, and the row of the seats on each stage is arranged so as to describe a gentle arc in order to ensure that the eyes of the crews are easily directed to near the center of the curve screen in the horizontal direction wherein each seat is arranged at an angle of from 2°

to 6°

with the front direction toward the direction of the center in width of the curve screen.

2. The ride simulation system comprising a ride casing which is in shape of a capsule and can accept one or more people, a driving mechanism for driving the ride casing, a display screen which is disposed at the front within the ride casing to display pictures, and seats which are arranged within the ride casing so that crews sitting on the seats are opposite to the display screen wherein

an operation device which a crew sitting on the seat can shift from a waiting aisle position to an operating position is provided on or near the seat wherein the operation device is an input device attached to a bar-like member which can be shifted from a side portion of the seat to a position near above the lap of the crew sitting on the seat, and the operation device comprises a pair of grip parts which the crew can grasp with both hands respectively.

3. The ride simulation system according to claim 2, wherein the grip parts stand upright on the bar-like member and switches are provided on the grip parts.

4. The ride simulation system according to claim 2, wherein the operation device comprises a trackball which is provided in the middle of both grip parts on the bar-like member.

5. A ride simulation system comprising a ride casing which is in shape of a capsule and can accept one or more people, a driving mechanism for driving the ride casing, and a display screen which is disposed at the front within the ride casing to display pictures, wherein

the ride casing is fabricated by combining a front side casing and a back side casing of which the external surfaces are different in light and darkness or color from each other, the ride casing has a long shape in the lateral direction as viewed from the side, and the area split ratio of the front side casing to the back side casing as viewed from the side is set at 8:

2 to 6;

4.

6. The ride simulation system according to claim 5, wherein the periphery of the back side casing is made smaller than that of the front side casing at the junction thereof.

7. A ride simulation system comprising:

a ride casing of a capsule-like form, which is capable of accommodating a plurality of human beings therein;

a driving mechanism for driving the ride casing;

a wide curve screen disposed at a front of the ride casing within the ride casing;

a plurality of projectors disposed at a rear of the ride casing within the ride casing for projecting on divided areas on the curve screen, which areas are assigned to the projectors respectively, so that a single image is displayed thereon; and

a plurality of seats arranged in a multistage condition within the ride casing so that crews sitting thereon are opposite to the curve screen, the seats disposed on a front side stage being lower than the seats disposed on a rear side stage, each row of the seats on the stages being arranged so as to describe a gentle arc so that crews sitting thereon easily direct their eyes toward the center of the curve screen in a horizontal direction;

wherein the projectors are arranged so as to cross the optical axes thereof at a position in front of the curve screen.

8. The ride simulation system according to claim 7, wherein the seats are disposed, on each stage, so as to incline at from 5 to 30 degrees with respect to a horizontal line passing through a center of the curve screen, so that the crews can easily direct their eyes to a middle position of the curve screen in a vertical direction.

9. The ride simulation system according to claim 7, wherein there are provided operation devices which all the crews sitting on the seats can individually operate.

10. The ride simulation system according to claim 7, further comprising a plurality of speakers disposed at the front within the ride casing, a speaker disposed at the rear within the ride casing, and a speaker disposed anywhere of a portion under a cushion of the seat and/or a portion near a base of the seat for a body sonic purpose.

11. A ride simulation system comprising:

a ride casing of a capsule-like form, which is capable of accommodating a plurality of human beings therein;

a driving mechanism for driving the ride casing;

a wide curve screen disposed at a front of the ride casing within the ride casing;

a plurality of projectors disposed at a rear of the ride casing within the ride casing for projecting on divided areas on the curve screen, which areas are assigned to the projectors respectively, so that a single image is displayed thereon; and

a plurality of seats arranged in a multistage condition within the ride casing so that crews sitting thereon are opposite to the curve screen, the seats disposed on a front side stage being lower than the seats disposed on a rear side stage, each row of the seats on the stages being arranged so as to describe a gentle arc so that the crews sitting thereon easily direct their eyes toward the center of the curve screen in a horizontal direction;

wherein the projectors are arranged so as to cross the optical axes thereof at a position in front of the screen; and

wherein the ride simulation system further comprises an operation device provided on or near the seat, which can be shifted from a waiting aisle position to an operating position by the crew sitting on the seat.

12. The ride simulation system according to claim 11, wherein the operation device is disposed on a frame member which is rotatably installed in the back of the seat, and the frame member is provided with arm rest portions which carry both arms of the crew sitting on the seat and a mounting portion for the operation device, which is connected to both arm rest portions between them and is adapted to extend almost horizontally and near above the lap of the crew sitting on the seat when the operation device is shifted to the operating position.

13. The ride simulation system according to claim 11, wherein the operation device is disposed on a frame member which is installed so that the frame member can be pulled up from the portion near the base of the seat, the frame member is provided with a lateral bar portion which is adapted to extend near above the lap of the crew sitting on the seat when the operation device is shifted to the operating position, and the lateral bar portion is provided with the operation device comprising grip parts which the crew can grasp with the hands.

14. The ride simulation system according to claim 11, wherein the operation device is disposed on a frame member for holding shoulders, which is rotatably installed in the back of the seat, and by shifting the frame member to a position in which the frame member holds the crew'"'"'s shoulders, the operation device which is installed in a pair of the grip parts on bar-like portions forming a right side and a left side of the frame member is shifted to the operating position.

15. The ride simulation system according to claim 11, wherein the ride simulation system effects an interactive function such that the image displayed on curve screen varies and the ride casing moves by operating the operation device in accordance with the contents of the image displayed on the curve screen.

16. A ride simulation system comprising:

a ride casing of a capsule-like form, which is capable of accommodating a plurality of human beings therein;

a driving mechanism for driving the ride casing;

a wide curve screen disposed at a front of the ride casing within the ride casing;

a plurality of projectors disposed at a rear of the ride casing within the ride casing for projecting on divided areas on the curve screen, which areas are assigned to the projectors respectively, so that a single image is displayed thereon; and

a plurality of seats arranged in a multistage condition within the ride casing so that crews sitting thereon are opposite to the curve screen, the seats disposed on a front side stage being lower than the seats disposed on a rear side stage, each row of the seats on the stages being arranged so as to describe a gentle arc so that crews sitting thereon easily direct their eyes toward the center of the curve screen in the horizontal direction;

wherein the projectors are arranged so as to cross the optical axes thereof at a position in front of the screen; and

wherein the ride simulation system further comprises a plate member provided between a door installed at an entrance to the ride casing and a position opposed to the entrance on a platform, which plate is capable of assuming a vertical position for preventing access to and from the entrance, and a lying position for allowing access to and from the entrance, so that the plate member covers a gap between the ride casing and the platform and operates as a step which connects a floor surface of the entrance with a top surface of the platform when the plate member assumes the lying position.

17. The ride simulation system according to claim 16, wherein entrances to the ride casing are provided on both sides of the ride casing, one entrance is only for the comings of crews whereas the other entrance is only for the goings of crews, and the plate members are provided on corresponding positions in front of the two entrances respectively.